Mail-catcher.



J. B. RAMSEY & J. WEST.

MAIL GATCHER. VAP.`r?I.I(J.A.TI0l| FILED JULY 8, 1908.

911,750. Patented Feb. 9, 1969.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Tens ca., lvAsmNaroN, D. c.

J. B. RAMSBY J. WEST. MAIL GATGHBR. APPLIOATIGN FILED JULY 6, 1908.

' 911,760. Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[TL i s gl nuankou/ Zuv u l atoznufd JAMESA BERT RAMSEY AND JOHN WEST, OF ELKHART, INDIANA.

MAIL-crimenes..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 6, 1908.

. Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Serial No. M2230.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMEs BERT RAM- sEY and J onN WEST, citizens of the United States, residing at Elkhart, in the county of Elkhart and State of indiana, have invented certain new and useful improvements in` Mail-Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail delivering and receiving apparatus, and'has tor its object to provide an article of this class which will be extremely efiective in operationand yet will cost but little to manufacture. V

Another object of this invention is to rovide a resilient bag holding means w ich is adapted to release a bag therefrom under rapid operation without injury to the bag.

Another object is to provide a means for retarding the momentum of a mail package gradually when delivered at a high rate of speed.

Another object is to provide such a stru cture, the operation oi' which will be readily understood and the installation oi' which may be accomplished without alteration of railway cars or station buildings.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, and it will be understood that changes in the specific structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims, and that any suitable materials may be used without departing from the spirit of theinvention. Y I

ln the drawin s forming a portion of vthis specification, and in which like numerals ot reference indicate similar parts in the several views, ligure 1 is a side elevation of the deliverer, lig. 2 is a side elevation of the receiver in operative position, iig. 3 is a side elevation of the receiver in operation, l ig. l is a top plan of the receiver, Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the delivery arms, hig. v is a modified form of delivery arm.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown the side of a car carrying spaced brackets 11 provided with registering bearing openings therethrough carrying revolubly a vertical shaft 12 as shown. Spaced supporting arms V are secured to the shaft 12 carrying at their outer ends bag engaging means 13 presently to be described. rlhe outer extremity of the arm 15 is flattened horizontally and turned in a lateral direction and provided with registering openings 16 oli'set from the axis of the arm 15. Ring engaging fingers 17 comprising pointed bars of' metal having their inner ends turned laterally to correspond with the outer ends oi the arm 15 are pivotally engaged in the o ening 16, as shown. On the outer edges ci) the members 17 there are formed notches 18 having perforations 18 therethrough. Rods 19 are ivotally engaged in the opening 18 and) extend inwardly adjacent to the arm 15 to engage with helical springs 20, as shown. The springs 20 are secured to the arms 15 by their outer ends and the rods 19 extend concentrically through the springs and are engaged therewith at their inner ends by means of a head portion 21, arranged to bear against r the spring upon oscillation of the member 17 in one direction and to exert tension u on the spring upon oscillation of the mem er 17 in an opposite direction. The members 17 are provided with arcuate inwardly turned bar s rings 22 on their outer edges, being secureciby their inner ends and having their outer ends thrust in yieldable engagement against the edge of the members 17 adjacent to their points. lt is intended that the rings A of a mail bag shall be engaged over the member-17 and under the springs 22 being thus held against accidental outward engagement therefrom. rlhe connection of the rods between the members 17 and the springs 2O serves to revent lateral deliection of the members 17 y the force of wind pressure against the mail bag when moving at a hgih rate of speed.

Secured upon the revoluble shaft 12 at its upper end there is an operating lever 25 pivoted to the shaft 12 for vertical oscillation in the plane of the arms 15. It will be seen that by means of the lever 25 the arms 15 may be operated to be extended at right angles with the body of the car, for delivery of mail. It will be understood that suitable means may be provided for retaining the arms yieldably in operative position, if desired. The lever 25 is adapted to be folded over the arms 15 as shown in Fig. 2.

The` apparatus for receiving mail bags Jfrom the delivering a paratus above described comprises spaced uprights intended to be located adjacent to a railway track, and having s aced arms 31 extending inwardly towar the track as shown. A mailreceiving member 32 is engaged pivotally between the arms 31 at their extremities, and comprises a spaced bar portion 33 engaged revolubly with the ends of the arms 31 and having an arcuate bag engaging arm portion 34 extending inwardly and divergently therefrom, there being a semieircular portion 35 formed at their junction for a purpose to be subsequently indicated. rl`he semi-circular portion 35 is offset outwardly of the engaging arm 33, as shown. A. heavy bar sprin T 36 is secured adjacent to the outer end or the portion 32 and extends inwardly to bear against the member 34 adjacent to its junction with the semicircular portion 35. A lever 38 is mounted below the member 32 'lor horizontal oscillation and normally is disposed outwardly lirom the arm 31 to engage upwardly against the bag engaging bar 34 to hold the member 32 in operative position. Upon engagement o'i a mail bag therewith, under normal conditions of service, the bag will slide rapidly along the bar 34 and come into frictional engagement with the spring 36 which will tend to retard its momentum gradually, thus avoiding damage to the contents or the bag by contusion. rThe bag then continues inwardly engaging the lever 38 to allow the member 32 to iiall out oi operative position. The bag then comes to rest within the semi-circular portion 35 from which it may be removed without diiliculty.

There is shown in lligs. 7 and 3 a bag holding means intended tor use upon the extremities of the arm 15 which may be considered preferable to the bag holding means above described. In this structure there are shown two pivoted fingers 4G and 41 spaced longitudinally of the arm l5. The outer inger 41 extends outwardly 'beyond the end of the arm 15, and is provided with a cam thrust 42, as shown. The inner finger 40 is pivoted to the arm 15 to lie with its lfree end disposed against the front of the nger 41, to prevent its oscillation until the linger 41 is oscillated to dispose the cam portion 42 so as to allow movement of the finger. The finger 40 is offset from the arm 15, as shown, to allow the engagement of the ring o'l" a mail bag thereover, as shown. This device is carried by each of the arms 15, being disposed oppositely with respect to each other, and adapted i'or oscillation oi the linger 41 in a common direction. For use with this form of bag holder, a vertical rod 43 is attached to the end of the arm 31 oi the bag 15, so that when a bag is to be delivered the arm 43 will strike vthe outer inger 41 to allow free disengagement oi the mail bag from the inger 40 when engaged by the arm 34.

What is claimed isz- 1. A mail bag deliverer comprising spaced pivoted arms, pivoted lingers carried at the extremities of said arms and extending longitudinally and outwardly thereol, means tor holding said fingers yieldably in extended position to retain a mail bag in engagement with said fingers, means ler operating said spaced arms to dispose them at times at right angles with the body olxr a car and al other times adjacent to the side ol' the car, said means comprising a lever adapted to be `lolded to lie out ol operative position.

A device of the class described including spaced uprights disposed adjacent lo a ralway track, horizontal spaced arms carried by said uprights, a mail bag engaging member pivoted at the extremities ot said arms, said member comprising a supporting arm and a bag engaging arm extending inwardly and divergently therefrom and means l'or gradually diminishing the momentum olV a mail bag when engaging with said engaging arm.

3. A device oi the class described comprising pivoted vertically spaced arms, lingers pivotod at the outer extremities oll said arm and adapted to hold a mail bag engaged thereon until engaged by a bag receiving mechanism and ica-ns vlor operating said spaced arms to present them at right angles with an adjacent car body and at other times in Yfolded position lmigitulinally el' said car body, said means cmnpnsing a lever adapted to be lolded to lie out or opn'alire position.

4. in a mail delivering and receiving apparatus, a mail engaging member o nprising a support, a horirontal arm mounted revolubly therein, a resilient i j,- engaging arm integral with and extendinVY inwardly olI and divergently l'rom said heriyontal arm7 a bar spring carried by the horiiiontal arm and extending divergently therefrom opposilely or' the engaging arm, and bearing against said engaging arm adjacent to its junction with the horizontal arm.

5. In a device oi the class described, spaced arms, bag engaging Vlingers carried by said arms, said lingers comprising tapered portions extending longitudinally and outwardly oiA the arms, and having ol'l'set perlorated portions engaged pivotally with the arms, and a resilient connection lnilwveen the arms and said i'ingers, opposiliely ol' said eliset portions to hold the lingers yieldably against oscillation.

ln testimony whereof we a'iix our signatures, in presence oi tiro witnesses.

JrliriES BERT lnititilil'. JQHN liilEST.

Witnesses Jnssn C. BLoUcn, JACOB BEirsEoxnn.

Srl 

